


The Origin's of Jeffery and Liu Woods

by Grelle



Series: Creepypasta [3]
Category: Creepypasta - Fandom
Genre: Attempted Murder, Blood and Gore, Bullying, Murder
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-10-05
Packaged: 2018-12-11 17:45:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11719344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grelle/pseuds/Grelle
Summary: The Origin story with my own personal touch. I was inspired to write this whilst working on my fic 'C'est La Vie'. Thus I strove to write my own version of the events that lead to Jeffery Woods losing his mind and consequently the only life he knew in the process...Enjoy~





	1. Sweet Dreams are Made of These

A trembling hand reaches out into the darkness, picking up the small, old fashioned recorder. Settling it down in the middle of the table...pushing the play button with a gentle click. A calm, slightly gravely, male voice began drifting into the air....

"Did you ever think it was possible that the story that you think you know isn't entirely right? That there's more to the story? There's more to the... _painted_ on smile that you see on my face?

Did you ever consider what's _behind_ the smile, the _person_ behind that smile? The person at the other end of that knife, who isn't entirely sure what he's even doing anymore. How it got started...when it got started. Or the life that he left behind, the life he still wishes he had...even though it was all fake? Well...not _all_. Mostly fake...yeah, that sounds better. Hehe~

Seems so long ago now, so very long ago. I don't even remember for sure when it happened, when I started to change. I know it must have been before the accident, my mind had already begun to act differently, think differently. But now, now it's just pain and rage...constant sorrow and boiling anger.

It hurts every single time that I drag breath into my lungs. It hurts so much to know that I'm alive and that they're not, even if they did deserve it. Even if I did get some sick, sweet pleasure tearing them open. But despite the pain, despite _wishing_ I didn't exist anymore, I don't have the courage to end it. To end this putrid existence. I'm a coward I guess, because...because I'd still like to hope there might be something better out there, somewhere. That even for someone like me, that a _monster_ like me might still find happiness. A real smile...

So, I'm retelling my tale one more time, in the hopes that someone will see more than just a Monster. A killer. A murderer. More than just bloodshed and knives and painted on smiles! That there's more to me than meets the eye, there's more to my story than what you know or choose to remember, and there's more to what you know that happened afterward. What happened before. What happened in the middle even. And I hope that when I'm finished? You'll finally understand the truth. You'll finally, _really_ understand....me."

The recording stops. The hand opens the device to retrieve the tape within, setting it down on the tabletop beside the recorder, presenting the label for all eyes. Written in red, a single name is seen.

_Jeff._

* * *

 

Jeffery Woods was fourteen when he and his family picked up and moved to the small town of Rosswood in the summer of 2013. Neither himself nor his younger brother, Liu, were the least bit thrilled over the move. They had had friends back where they were from, lives that were now gone. All because their father had scored some higher paying job in this new place.

Their new house, they supposed, was nice enough. Two stories tall, white picket fence, the typical upscale neighborhood where everyone's lawn was constantly mowed and the hedges all perfect and square. Everyone on their street had nice cars and manicured houses, no flower out of place or rock not in some strategic position to amplify the 'beauty' of the area. All rich people no doubt or at least all pretending to be more than what they all were. All competing to seem better than the person next to them.

Despite the new home and the new lives, one thing in the Woods house remained unchanged, their parents. Mathew and Janice Woods were almost never home or always too busy to deal with either of their sons. Matt worked long hours, whilst his wife spent much of her time either shopping or socializing with the neighbors. Leaving Jeffery and Liu to their own devices much of the time, not that they minded all that much, they had each other and that was what mattered. At least that's how Jeff felt about it, he was happy this way or as happy as a teen could be in that situation.

It was a quiet Saturday evening that Jeffery and Liu rode their bikes to the local park, deciding to take a walk out on the trails there and just explore a bit, get out of the house. School wasn't due to start for a few more weeks so they had plenty of time to check the town out before that. Chaining their bikes to a tree, the brothers made their way out onto one of the many concrete paths that lead around the large place. It felt nice to be outside, long walks like these were something they had down often back where they were from. "The weather is pretty chilly here." Liu commented with a slightly glum expression, looking up at the gray clouds that seemed permanently glued to the sky over Rosswood. "Yeah, in the middle of summer and its barely what? Like sixty-five degrees out here?" Jeffery replied as he kicked a pine cone farther down the path, hands in his pockets.

"Seems like it. And its always cloudy...I miss the friggin' sun." Liu sighed heavily as he adjusted the striped scarf around his neck a bit tighter, looking sad as strands of chocolate brown fell into his dark green eyes. Jeffery chuckled a little, running a hand through his straight brown hair that was only a few shades lighter than his brothers. "Seriously though, at this rate we're going to forget what the hell it even looks like." He replied, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his white hoodie, gazing up at the sky as well a moment or two. Glancing over at Liu, he reached out and wrapped an arm about his shoulders, "Cheer up! It could be worse, right? I mean at least its not raining!" He told the younger teen optimistically, attempting to lighten his mood.

His blue eyes turned back down the path catching sight of three people ahead, standing just off the path. They were all boys, around his and his brothers ages or perhaps just a little older. One was rather skinny and about Jeff's height with blondish hair. The second was rounder in the middle, stalky built, with reddish colored hair. And the last looked like he had eaten maybe a few too many Snickers and had darker ginger hair, this one glanced up when his skinny blonde buddy nudged him, dark eyes landing on the two brothers. "Oi, looky what we have here, couple of little queers! There's a toll to take this path y'know."

Jeffery and Liu glanced at each other, before the elder smiled a little, though it was wary. "Look, we don't want any trouble, alright? I'm Jeffery and this is my younger brother Liu, we're new in town." He told them in an attempt at being friendly, hoping maybe they were more sensible than they acted, "We're just out for a walk, so if you could let us through-" The three teens stepped up onto the gravel path, half circling the Woods brothers. "Maybe you didn't hear my friend? He said there's a toll, pay up." The skinny one smirked, leaning in toward the two with a smirk, uncomfortably close in Jeffery's opinion.

Calmly, Jeffery took a step back, ignoring the burning in his chest. Trying to quill the anger before it took hold, remain polite, "Its a public park, we just want to go on with our own business. Alright?" The elder Woods replied as politely as he could manage, biting back the anger beginning to boil in his stomach, thick and black it churned in his insides. Liu gave his older brother a side long glance, clearly uncomfortable, but squared his shoulders and tried to look a bit tougher. "Yeah! So just move, alright? We don't want any trouble, punks." Jeffery held back a sigh, this was not the time for Liu to act brave!

Three sets of eyes turned slowly toward the shorter boy. The skinny blonde jabbed his larger buddies side, "We gonna take that Randy?" He asked of the biggest in the group, "No, I don't think we are Troy. What do you think Keith?" The last one chuckled, cracking his knuckles, "Nah, man, lets teach the little shit who he's talking to..." He didn't really sound all that confident, though no one seemed to notice that.

Jeffery attempted to react quickly, stop them or at least pull his little brother out of the way, but Troy had him by his hoodie collar before he could. Randy nailed Liu right in the mouth, the brunette stumbling in surprise from the blow. Jeff felt his anger over flow, turning from bubbling to rolling boil in an instant. Troy was chuckling, clearly far to happy to see a fight, distracted as he watched Randy grab hold Liu's arms and hold him back allowing Keith to rear back for another punch. The elder Woods acted blindly, pulling his fist back and spinning around in his grasp for a nasty right hook that caught Troy full in the jaw, the blonde letting go almost instantly in shock with a howl of pain.

The other two looked up at the noise, Keith didn't have a chance to react before his face was full of Jeffery's fist, the ginger letting out a yelp as he fell on his ass clutching a busted lip. Randy dropped Liu at once, the smaller teen coughing softly and holding his sore ribs where Keith had nailed him a few times. The fat kid back away as Jeffery advanced, fire burning in his blue eyes like someone at set the sky itself one fire. The dark haired boy smiled as he cracked his knuckles, a slow, wicked smile turning up his lips into an eerie grin. 

The only thing going through Jeffery Woods' mind in that moment was how sweet it tasted to let out a little steam on these guys, to see the smug looks wiped from these jerks faces. Randy waved his hands at Jeffery, "Woah, okay! Settle down, we're just having a bit of fun is all!" The elder Woods boy cocked his head slightly,  raising a brow, "Oh yeah? Your right, this _is_ pretty fun!" He growled, striking out with another punch like a snake after its prey, nailing the guy once...twice in the gut with blinding speed. Jeff was almost glad for that year of boxing lessons his dad had forced him through now. It would have been three hits if Liu hadn't stepped in, grabbing his brothers elbow, "Come on Jeff! We gotta get out of here, that blonde kid's calling the cops!" Jeff looked back, spotting the skinny kid babbling on his cellphone. The anger dissipated and he nodded, the two of them racing back down the path toward their bikes.

The ride home was a quick one, their neighborhood not far from the park at all and for a time the brothers thought everything would be fine. Their parents weren't home when they got back, ditching their bikes in the garage, the two went upstairs to Jeffery's room to catch their breath.

Sitting in silence for a bit, calming down before they started laughing, "Did you see their faces?!"

"Haha~! Yeah, bet those punks aren't used to anyone standing up to them!" Jeffery laughed loudly a few minutes, before his blue eyes flitted to his little brothers slightly swollen face, the humor fading a bit. This could have ended so much worse, Liu might not have been so lucky. "But...next time, lets not start any fights okay? I...I don't want to see you get hurt like that and I can't always be around to step in." Liu blushed a bit, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment, "I could have taken them...eventually. They just caught me off guard is all."

"Liu...I'm serious."

The younger brunette sighed and nodded, "Yeah, alright, sorry. I'll be more careful." Jeffery nodded, satisfied by the answer for now. The two teens decided to pick up a video game, playing one of Jeff's two player fighting games. Teasing and taunting one another, laughing and just generally enjoying themselves.

A half hour passed by, when they heard a small commotion down stairs, the front door swinging open a bit more roughly than was necessary and the thud echoing through the quiet house. "Jeffery! Liu! Get down here this instant!" Their mother's high voice yelled up the stairs, both of them looked to each other with differing levels of 'oh crap' written on their faces. She had that tone of voice that said they were in a lot of trouble. Putting their controllers down, they started down to the living room, but the eldest paused in front of his brother on the descent down the stairs, staring in apprehension at the two uniformed police standing with their parents in the foyer. Liu sucked in a breath behind him.

"Now!" Their mother barked, both of them obeying, though sluggishly. Jeffery and Liu stood side by side in front of the officers and their parents, the first cop, a man whose tag read 'Rivers', spoke first. "We have a report saying you two beat up a couple of teens at the park earlier today, care to explain son?" The man said in one of the those polite tones that held the underline of a sticky condescending attitude that said this guy defiantly thought he was better than the teenager he was walking to. Jeffery kept his hands tucked into his hoodie pockets, warily eyeing the policeman, "I wouldn't really call it that. I was defending my brother when they attacked him first." He replied, keeping eye contact, trying to show them he was telling the truth. Be convincing, because he had a feeling they didn't believe him and wouldn't want to.

"Now, that's not what the boys said, nor the witness's. Several people stated you walked up to the boys and started the fight for no reason. And those boys had no reason to lie."

The elder brother felt his face heat in anger, mouth falling open a little, they couldn't be serious?! "What? There was no one around! And look at my brothers face!" He replied in shock, pointing to the younger boy at his side, Liu turning his head to show better his swollen cheek where the bruises were already coloring themselves in. Rivers looked very much unimpressed, turning his eyes back to Jeff, "Son, that looks like he fell, not got punched. Now, listen, I'm going to let you boys off with a warning this time. But if you get into anymore fights I might just have to put you in Juvie."

Both brothers were outraged, open mouthed and glaring at the officer, but it was their father who spoke. "Yes, of course, they understand! Good night officer!" Clearly Mathew Woods was trying to defuse the situation or prevent it before it got worse, but it only made his sons that much angrier, Jeff most of all.

"Both of you, rooms. No supper!" Their mother told them, hissed the words like a viper issuing a threat. Jeffery glared at her, "Your youngest son gets beat up and your just going to ignore that?!" He questioned her in outrage, Liu was tugging on his arm, trying to get him to just drop it. "Jeffery..." His father said his name in a warning tone, but the eldest child didn't back down. This wasn't right! He couldn't believe this. Couldn't fathom that his parents, their parents, the people who were supposed to care most about them were simply going to ignore this.

Mrs. Woods stuck up her nose, glaring at her eldest son, "Liu looks fine to me Jeffery, your over reacting." She chided him with a sniff. Jeffery's mouth fell open further, she couldn't be truly serious!? The teen turned to his father, "Dad?! Come on, you can't seriously think I would just beat up a bunch of random guys!?"

"Jeffery, I said go to your room! Now. Go to sleep!"

Shaking his head in disbelief, Jeff finally gave into his younger brothers insistent tugging, following him upstairs. The teen did not sleep well that not or any night after that the entire week, the thought that his parents would so blatantly ignore their children when they truly needed them plagued his mind. Ate at his heart and left in its wake a pain so deep, so cold...it burned his very soul. Was he the only one who cared?! Saw this injustice? Liu could have been seriously hurt and if he had would his parents still have turned a blind eye?

Jeffery was afraid they might in fact do just that and it only made that burning cold that much worse. If he was the only one who could protect Liu, then so be it. By the next weekend the elder teen had already come to the conclusion it was just him and Liu, his parents wouldn't be there for them when they needed it, so there was no need to care about it any longer. He was determined not to let it hurt him anymore, not to let _them_ hurt him anymore...

Nothing else of consequence happened either for the rest of the next weekend or the week after...at least until Wednesday rolled around and his mother approached him and Liu. "Boys?" She began as she flipped off the TV in the living room where they had been sitting on the couch, her smile screamed she was up to something and immediately Jeff felt on edge. Though it didn't show in his relaxed posture. "We're going to a party this afternoon, all of us! The boy down the street is celebrating his birthday and I thought it would be a fantastic opportunity for you two to make some new friends." Mrs. Woods said cheerfully, clapping her hands together in this over joyous way that made her eldest nearly sick.

"Aren't we a bit old for birthday parties?" Liu asked incredulously, twisting up his face and wrinkling his nose, looking disgusted. Jeffery snorted, leaning on his fist, elbow on the edge of the couch. "Its not for us, Liu. Its so mom and dad can rub elbows with the socialites and try to be all buddy buddy with the rich snobs in this shit hole town." The elder brother told the younger flippantly, waving his hand in the air as if this proved or emphasized his point in some way. His mother's mouth fell open in outrage, "Jeffery Alex Woods! Language!" She shouted at him, mouth agape like a fish out of water, "Your both going wither you like it or not, now get ready! We leave in half an hour!" Janice Woods turned and stormed from the room.

"She didn't deny it at least..." Liu mumbled as they made their way to their bedrooms, his brother chuckled softly before separating to go change. Slipping on simple jeans and black t-shirt with a band he liked on it, tying up his shoes before heading back to wait.

Not long later he found himself and his family in one of the larger, nicer houses down the street. The place was painted white, the lawn the definition of perfect, not a flower or leaf or even stone out of place. The whole inside decorated in colorful balloons and streamers that reminded Jeffery of a child's party rather than a teens, he almost expect to see a colorful feathered clown running around offering candy.

Janice put a hand onto each of her sons shoulders, putting on a big smile. Liu and Jeffery were pushed into the largest room where most of the other teens were, both glancing at each other in discomfort as the room feel almost eerily quiet. Slowly whispers broke out, their parents wandered off to talk with the other adults else where in the large house, leaving them to fend for themselves in this den of snakes. No shock there for either teen. Jeffery's blue eyes wandered a bit to the pictures on the wall nearest him, settling on a recent looking one, his heart sinking when he recognized one of the faces in it. Liu nudged his side with an elbow at almost the same time, nodding his head to one of the three boys heading their way when his brother looked over. The elder Woods boy muttered a vicious curse, had this been his mothers plan all along? Force them into the same house as those punks in hopes of them playing nice? Was she truly so daft? No, not she wasn't stupid, just blind. Blind to the truth screaming at her, blaring like the morning sun on Liu's face last week.

Keith was muttering something to Randy in a small, angry voice, trying in vain to pull his larger friend back. But it was too late, the portly teen stopped in front of the two brothers, his friends on either side. Troy looked too happy to be there and Keith just looked frustrated, "Oi, you got a lot of nerve showing up here."

Jeffery's expression was hard as he replied, "Didn't really have a choice, our parents dragged us over." He snapped venomously, before reigning in the anger as best he could, letting out an irritated sigh. "Look, lets just forget the other day? Alright?" Randy raised a brow, Troy opening his mouth to reply, but the leader of the three stopped him with a raised hand. Randy's smile was calm, but something glinted in his eyes that Jeff didn't like, couldn't put a name to. "Yeah, fair enough. Lets be friends? What do ya say?"

"Yeah...Sure." Jeff was cautious, deciding to go along with it, at least for now. Surely they wouldn't try anything here? At a house full of people...Keith gave Randy a side long look, seeming suspicious himself, but letting it go. The ginger boy smiled a little at Liu and Jeff, "Hey, wanna play some football? I just got a new ball for my birthday!" He seemed genuinely friendly about it. Liu looked up at his brother who merely shrugged, the shorter boy smiled, "Yeah, sounds fun!"

Randy grinned, walking over and throwing an arm around Jeff who was slightly smaller in height than the boy with dark reddish hair, "Sounds great Keith! This guy and I'll go get the ball from the garage, meet ya out back!" The blonde nodded, coming to stand with Randy and Jeff. "Yeah, I'll go too, see you in a few Keith!"

Keith hesitated a moment, seeming uncertain, he glanced for a moment at Jeff and then his two friends. "Yeah, alright, just be quick. Ah, Liu right?" He said to the younger Woods brother, the two heading toward the backyard as Jeffery went along with Randy and Troy. The elder glanced back once, worried more about Liu then the two goons on either side of himself, but what could he do? Surely Liu would be alright?

Liu nodded to Keith, "Yeah, that's right. Erm, you have a nice yard." The brunette said a little awkwardly as they stepped out onto the back lawn, the ginger boy chuckled softly, grinning a bit. "Its pretty nice. So, uh, listen..." He glanced at the younger boy, rubbing the back of his neck a bit, "I wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened at the park....Randy is...well he's got a short fuss and Troy doesn't help at all. I wouldn't have helped him but...look, he's not so bad once you get to know him, really." Liu tilted his head, crossing his arms over his chest, looking a little uncomfortable. Should he trust this guy? He seemed as if he meant it... "Yeah, its fine. In the past right?"

"Haha~ Yeah!" Keith grinned, glancing toward the house. Randy and the others were taking a long time...He wondered if maybe he shouldn't have let them go alone....

* * *

 

In the garage Troy stood be the door, playing with an old silver flip lighter, flipping it open and shut repeatedly. The sounds of the clank of metal resonating softly in the small room as Jeffery looked around some plastic shelves for the football, "You sure he left it in here? I don't see it anywhere..." He said, straightening up and turning around, almost jumping out of his skin when he saw Randy standing so close. The big guy was practically looming over the brunette teen, a smile curving his mouth in the creepiest manner the other had ever seen on another persons face.

"Forget the ball, Woods. I wanted to talk." Jeff took a step back, his stance defense. He felt his foot hit one of the plastic shelves, which swayed a bit from the motion but neither of the teens seemed to take notice. "Oh yeah? About what exactly?" He questioned in a calm voice, watching the red head like a hawk, ready, he hoped, if they guy tried anything.

"The other day in the park. I wanted to make something a bit more clear....You think your tough shit? You ain't, all ya did is catch me and my boys off guard. But it won't happen again, ya hear me?"

Jeffery narrowed his blue eyes, that anger beginning to rise in his chest again, starting to bubble as he smiled slightly. "Heh, what? Scared I could have kicked your lard ass? You don't scare me asshole!" The eldest Woods shoved Randy back a bit, not at all liking where this was going, but he wasn't about to roll over like a mutt either. Randy growled when he stumbled, rearing his fist back for a punch that didn't land, the brunette was quick to dodge the strike and swat the arm away.

The red head let out another growl, this one a bit more feral, like an old dog trying to fight off a wolf and attempting to sound intimidating. Failing miserably. The big guy lunged, trying to tackle Jeff to the floor, the impact caused the smaller teens back to hit that shelf again, this time it swayed dangerously. Several things toppled over and hit the floor with various crashing sounds, a bottle tipped over and spilled its contents on the pair who parted and sputtered in surprise from the sudden cold, wet feeling.

Jeff coughed, wiping the stuff from his eyes as he found himself chocking on the smell of bleach, "Shit! This was my favorite shirt too!" He heard Randy complain near by, managing to get the stuff out of his eyes in time to look up, feeling something else being splashed over him. Jeffery stumbled backward in surprise, letting out a gasp. He got a lung full of the smell of gasoline when he took his next breath. His heart thudded hard as he lifted his blue eyes, seeing Randy beside Troy, the blonde grinned sadistically. "Burn bitch..." The words barely reached him, he was fixated on the flame of the lighter flying across the room toward him, stepping back in vain to avoid it. The brunette's foot slipped on the wet floor, his body toppling backwards just as the lighter hit the ground with an echoing 'clink'...

The next thing he knew was the pain, his screams filling the air and his throat burning from the force of them. Body crumpling in the immense wave of fire that clawed at his body. Jeffery thrashed, clawing at his face and body, rolling around in a vain attempt to alleviate the pain. Letting out one last ear splitting scream...before the world went black....

He wasn't sure how much time passed that he found himself drifting in darkness, catching little snippets of voices and sounds. Liu's voice drifted into his mind often enough. Jeffery could hear him crying a lot, calling out to his elder brother, begging him to survive. _'But I'm so tired...so weak...everything hurts...do I really have to keep breathing?'_ He asked to no one in his own head, mentally sighing, _'Of course I do...Liu...Liu needs me...right? My parents...they love me too...don't they? They would all be upset if I died...'_

It hurt to breath for a long while. He could tell he was under a morphine drip, somehow, the world seemed to swim when he was sure he was awake. But he was too weak to move, talk...and his eyes were covered in bandages most the time. Vaguely he wondered how bad the damage was. Someone was holding his left hand, he could feel the weight of their fingers in his own and though he wanted to grip that hand back he couldn't manage to do it just yet. Couldn't yet find the strength.

So instead he listened to the soft breathing...the beeping of the heart monitor and the wheeze of the oxygen tank. He heard a door open, the sounds of someones shoes coming across the linoleum. "Oh doctor, is Jeffery going to alright?" His mother's voice reached him from the right side, she lifted herself from a chair, it scrapped the floor and internally he cringed at the noise. "Well, all things considered he is very lucky. The damage to his lungs and throat was minimal, it appears to be healing very well. But...the damage to his skin was...Well we got to him soon enough to prevent a majority of the damage that could have been and he's not in risk of infection now at the very least. But he will need to see an optometrist about his eyes." The doctor paused a moment, "He should be safe to go home in another week or so."

"Yes, but will he be _okay_?" His mother stressed the last word and he wondered what she meant, the doctor had said as much hadn't he? Jeffery was healing fine, could go home soon. He felt the weight in his left hand tighten a bit more, had whomever it was gotten what she meant, read into something he hadn't? "As I said he's at no risk of infection at this point and should be safe to go home in another week. He'll need plenty of rest to recover properly and I would strongly suggest a liquid diet for awhile..."

Mrs. Woods huffed, clearly getting annoyed, "No, _no_...I mean, what about his appearance? His face!" Jeff felt his stomach twist, the urge to vomit strong as he realized what was happening, what his mother was saying. The teen wanted to scream, tell them to stop talking, he didn't want to hear this! The heart monitor, which beeped very softly on his left side, blipped a little faster. No one seemed to notice. The doctor didn't answer at first, "Mrs. Woods, that's hardly a concern at the moment..."

"So its that bad?! What can we do about it?!"

"Mrs. Woods, my primary concern at this time is his health, not his appearance." The doctor replied in a slightly shocked voice, before letting out a sigh, "But if your that worried, there's always plastic surgery...Though I wouldn't recommend such a thing for some time."

"Thank you doctor, could you excuse us? I need to talk to my wife." He heard his father say somewhere in the direction he knew his mother was as well. Moments later the door opened and shut with a soft click. Jeff remained unmoving, pretending to still be unconscious, waiting...listening. The beeping slowed once more. His father spoke first, "Liu? Why don't you go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat, alright?"

The hand in his squeezed a little tighter, "But...But I want to be here when Jeff wakes up." The younger boy pleaded softly, he sounded tired, his voice a little hoarse. No doubt from crying. Again Jeffery had the urge to squeeze that hand, show Liu he was fine, but didn't for now. "Listen, he's still under a lot of medication, he won't even notice. We'll page you if he wakes up, okay?"

There was a gentle sigh to his left and the weight in his hand lifted, he listened to Liu's foot steps grow fainter and fainter. He felt so cold and empty without Liu there..."Alright, I guess." The door opened and shut once more, indicating Liu had left the room. It was again silent a few moments before his mothers voice cut in, she sounded somewhat hysterical, "What are we going to do Matt?! W-we'll have to home school him!"

"I hardly think that's necessary Janice, the doctor said Jeffery can come home soon and after some rest he should be healthy enough for school, I'm sure." His father reasoned, he could hear his mothers heels clacking across the floor. To and fro at what he assumed was the end of his bed because the sound would pass louder from the left and then the right, over and over. " **No!** Think about it Mathew! He'll be a _pariah_! The neighbors will talk! No one will want to be near him looking like...like **_that_ _!_** "There was clear disgust in her voice and as much as he had told himself last week or whenever it was now that he didn't care about them...it hurt. Like a knife piercing his heart and being twisted. He forced himself not to make a sound, not to cry right then, listening to his parents **_agreeing_** that he needed to be home schooled. That he needed plastic surgery because they couldn't stand the sight of their _own_ child!

He spent the rest of the week pretending he didn't know. Never told Liu, not once during any of his baby brothers visits. No...No, instead he silently stewed over the knowledge his parents love was as thin as a glass panel...So easily seen through now. That their love only extended as far as how their children _looked_ or how far they could make their _reputations_ go. At one point, toward the end of the week, when one of the nurses came to change his bandages and help him get ready to go home he asked for a mirror. Wanting to see the damage for himself.

Her name plate read 'Amy'. The nurse was an older lady, kind and grandmotherly with graying hair up in a neat bun.  Amy had been his nurse through the whole week and had been nothing but kind to him, never cringed when she changed his bandages or anything. Not like he had seen his mother do a few times when she had stayed to watch. "Are you sure sweetie...? Its not a pretty sight...maybe I should get your parents first?"

"...No...I wanted to see this on my own...if you don't mind." He replied hoarsely, his throat still ached badly, even with the medication it still hurt to speak. To breath...to fucking move. The nurse nodded, walking to a cabinet and retrieving for him a small hand mirror, holding it out to him when she returned. Jeffery reached out one partly bandaged hand, bringing it closer, doing his best to close his eyes. But he had already discovered that was nearly impossible, the doctor had explained to him he would need eye drops fairly often from now.

Lifting the mirror he beheld his reflection. His now lidless blue eyes circled in blackened, scared flesh. The overly white skin where it wasn't open, healing burns or bandaged still. His hair...Once chocolate brown, was singed and black now where it hadn't been burnt off. And he stared...feeling...nothing. At least not at first...

"Its not so bad..." The nurse said, trying to comfort him, she must have thought him upset. She was very clearly startled when he smiled, forcing his lips to turn up, slowly letting out a laugh. Fuck it hurt to laugh, but he couldn't stop, the sound growing as he laughed and laughed. "Are you kidding?! Ahahaha...HAHAHA~ Its perfect! Don't you see? I _finally_ look exactly as I feel!"

The nurse looked taken aback as she backed away, moving toward the door, "Oh dear, I think the doctor should lower your morphine dosage...Um, I'll be right back!" She said in a nervous voice, before darting from the room.

That evening he entered his home with his parents and brother, standing tall even though he wanted to crumble to his knees. The pills the doctor had given him for the pain weren't nearly as powerful as the drip he had been receiving up till then. "Ah, maybe we could order something special for dinner, to welcome Jeff home! What do you think mom?" Liu suggested as they came inside, "We should let Jeff pick!" The brunette boy said with a smile to his elder brother, holding his bags in one hand, holding Jeff's hand with the other. The elder boy squeezed Liu's hand gently, though he did not look at him. Janice Woods let out a tired noise, "Not tonight Liu...You boys just...just go to sleep."

Liu frowned sadly, hanging his head as he went upstairs with the older teen. The now raven paused in his room when they reached it, stood there staring at the wall, not really there. Not really seeing it. His mind was somewhere else, it felt like he was floating, drifting between this hell and a dream even worse than that hell. "Its fine...Liu...Go to bed...okay?" He told the younger teen in an almost mechanical voice, hugging the brunette with some difficulty for a few minutes, letting him go and watching him leave after soft 'good nights' were shared.

Jeffery did not sleep, he simply sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the window for several hours. Not seeing it. Not seeing anything. No, but he was thinking, imagining....or so he thought. He imagined himself standing up from his bed, going silently down to the kitchen just after midnight and retrieving a knife from the chopping block on the counter, staring at his eerie white face in the surface. He tried to smile...but it hurt so much to do so...

Drifting through the silent house, back upstairs, he went to the bathroom there and flipped on the light. He wasn't sure how long he stared at his own reflection, thinking about his mothers words, feeling disgust like tar dripping down over his heart. Black and foul. He thought about how to her he was a _pariah_...how the **neighbors** would _talk_... **no one** would _**ever**_ want to be his **friend**!

He began laughing softly, lifting the kitchen knife to his face, "Ehehehe~ Of course no one would want to be my friend...Ahaha~ I gotta smile! Yeah...big... _happy_.... **smile!** " He chocked a little as he brought the blade onto his face, dragging it back from the corner of his mouth, deep into his cheek and not stopping until he was nearly to his ear. Laughing more as blood poured down in thick rivulets, splatter down onto the counter, staining the white night shirt the raven wore and dribbled down even onto his pants. Repeating this on the other side, he was practically cackling with glee when he pulled the knife back...but there were tears running slowly down his face. Mingling with the sticky crimson fluid that he now dipped his fingers in, reaching out to the surface of the mirror before him. "Eehehehe...A-am I...beautiful?" The teen carefully wrote the words on the reflective surface, eyes dancing in amusement and sorrow like fire in the wind, "Hm?! Answer me mother!" Jeffery shouted suddenly once he had finished the last letter, turning on the stunned woman in the door way whose hands were clasped over her mouth.

He had noticed her before he started writing the words, she had just stood there and watched him. Not trying to stop him or help him, just staring like a deer caught in the headlights of a car. "Jeffery...wha-what have you done...?!" She was pale, looked ready to be sick as her elder son turned toward her, shrugging his shoulders so nonchalantly. The knife dancing in the fingers of his right hand dangerously, "It hurt to fake the smiles...and I need to impress the _neighbors_ , right? Ahaha~ Besides, I think I look better this way, don't you?" He came toward her and she backed away from him, shaking her head, "Oh my god...Jeffery, its...I need to call your doctor! You need help!"

"Help...?" He seemed confused as he watched her rush down the hallway toward master bedroom, following after her at a leisurely pace, she was shouting at his father as he entered the room. "Mathew! Mathew, he's lost his mind!" She screamed as his father got out of bed, not seeing his son just yet, his back to him, "Janice, calm down, I'm sure its just a side effect of his medication and your over reacting."

"But, mother, I've never been better! Eh...ehehe~ Are you just jealous? Its okay...I'll make you beautiful too." Jeffery said in a sickly sweet voice, his fathers eyes going wide when he turned at last to see his eldest sons face, paling like a sheet of paper.

His mother gasped, ducking behind his father who backed them into a corner thoughtlessly, "Jeffery, put the knife down son...Just calm down!" The teen laughed again, shaking his head, "Oh come on! I am calm! Perfectly calm and **_happy_**! See?! The smile?! I'm _always_ happy now! Everyone can love me and no one will talk about anything but how cheerful and _beautiful_ I am! That's what you wanted, right **mother?!** " He growled the last bit, stalking closer and closer, his mother was pleading with him to stop. But the words were lost on him. "What's the matter? Don't you still love me? I made myself beautiful, just for you! So you can be happy too! Ehehehe~" Jeffery tilted his head, face cast in deep shadows for a moment, only that smile to taunt them. Eerily glistening in the moonlight that spilled in from the window, "Why don't you take your own advice...?"

"Wh-what...?" His mother sobbed in confusion, stilling at the soft words, lifting her face to look at him once more. All Janice Woods could do was stare in horror as the teen struck out, shoving the knife into his fathers chest with a crazed chuckle. Freeing the knife and repeating the motion, sinking with his father to the floor as his mother cowered in the corner screaming and sobbing, begging her son for answers she would never get. Jeffery Woods still thought he was imagining this, thought this was some delicious dream where he got back at his family, nothing more than a lucid fantasy that felt more real thanks to the pain killers kicking in finally.

Jeff turned on his mother as Mathew Woods bled out onto the once plush white carpet, tilting his head again, smiling that eerily sweet smile at her as he knelled down on his knees before her. "Just...go...to... ** _SLEEP_**!" He screamed the last word with all the stick black hatred dwelling in his soul, plunging the blade into her gut and jerking it to the side in order to spill out the contents of her lower torso, removing the knife and running it through her heart second later. He sat back, watching the life leaving her blue eyes, the same eyes he had inherited from her.

"Ehehehe....aha...HAHAHAHA!" The raven laughed as he stood up from watching them bleed out, his pajamas soaked in a combination of his blood and theirs. Moving to the door, his brothers image passing through his blood crazed mind, "I-I need to make Liu beautiful too! H-he'll feel left out other wise!" He convinced himself as he entered his little brothers dark room with a wild look in his eyes, watching the sleeping figure from the door for several minutes. Liu had his headphones in, the sound of music drifting into the dark air as the younger man lay on his side. Jeff let out a small chuckle, approaching the bed quietly, nudging the boy with his free hand.

Liu slowly came awake, pushing off the bulky head set and turning to look at his elder brother. At first his eyes were blurry, but slowly, as he came more awake he noticed the blood...the smile...sucking in a breath, his green eyes going wide in horror, "Jeff?! Wha-MMPH!" The raven put his hand over his brothers mouth to quiet him, "Its-Its okay Liu! Just relax! I-I'm going to make you beautiful! Just like me!" He giggled gleefully, wrestling the smaller teen down onto the bed easily enough, climbing up to straddling the boys chest in order to hold him still easier. Holding both Liu's hands with one of his own, he smiled that eerie smile again, leaning over the brunette.

He started with a smile, carving a more delicate one into the sobbing boys cheeks, cooing softly to him all the while. "Its okay Liu! Your going to be so beautiful when I'm done! Ahahaha~ Even mother will be jealous! I'll be so careful with you, calm down...." The raven's smile faltered a bit when the knife slipped, his brother having moved a bit more harshly in his attempts at escape, the blade running across the bridge of his nose. Anger swelled in him like fierce flames, Jeff let out an annoyed growl, " **Fuck**! Look what you made me do Liu?! You ruined my masterpiece!" The smaller boy could only sob, coughing on some of the blood that leaked into his mouth, "Jeff...Wh-why are you doing this?! P-please stop, I'm _scared!_ "

Jeffery smiled slightly again, "Its okay! D-don't be scared Liu...Just...Just...go...to sleep...Yes. Just go to sleep!" The elder laughed again, this wild maniacal laugh as he dragged the blade almost gently across the younger boys throat, watching the red life flowing out of him as Liu sputtered and chocked on the blood....slowly growing quieter. More still...The life dimming in his vibrant green eyes...

Something about it woke Jeffery from this dream like state, the raven blinking....smile fading behind the cuts on his cheeks, the pain registering at last. This wasn't a dream...This was-! "Liu!? Liu wake up! Wake up! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME LIU! **_WAKE UP!!!!_** " Jeffery let out an agonized scream, pulling the small teen to his chest, shifting so they were on the floor. The raven clung to his little brother, sobbing and screaming, begging him to wake up. Begging to wake up himself from this nightmare he had dropped into. This hell that was reality...

Outside he could see flashing lights beyond his brothers window that faced the street, hear the sirens...Chocking back another scream he looked down at his brothers lifeless body, trembling as he sat him down, "I...I'm so sorry Liu....I...I failed you...I'm so _sorry_...." He placed a gentle kiss to the boys forehead, getting up and backing away, he heard someone knocking at the front door. "Is everything alright in there? The neighbors reported screaming!" A muffled voice called from beyond the front door downstairs. Moving as quick as he could Jeffery rushed to his room, grabbed some clothes from his closet and escaped out his window that faced the forest, hitting the ground hard. It was a few minutes before he could recovered enough to get up and run properly...Jeffery Woods vanished into the night, never to be seen again...

It was believed he had died at some point out in those cursed woods, though no body was found. Eventually everyone seemed to forget about the Woods Family Massacre. Though the mystery doesn't end here. Rumors never die and some deaths can't be explained...as people in the neighboring towns reported murders, all the victims bearing the same marks...a smile carved into their faces. The only other clue the bloody words written on the walls or surfaces near them...

**_GO TO SLEEP!_ **


	2. Sully

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It wasn't what he wanted...no, never what he wanted. He was helpless to the monster that he materialized within his own mind. Restless as it murder one hapless victim after another under the guise of 'Justice' and 'Righteousness'. Broken by its grip on his body and forced to watch as it does as it pleases...All he wanted was for things to go back to normal. To go home...for this nightmare to end. But it never did...it never would...There was nothing to return to now.

The moment he had arrived in his bedroom he had immediately picked up his Ipod, plugging in his noise cancelling headphones and flipping to the loudest punk rock song he could think of. All Liu wanted to do was lay there and cry or scream or something, anything! Anything to alleviate the anger and anguish tearing at his heart like clawed fingers. The teen simply could not understand why his parents were so dismissive of what had happened to Jeff, it was like they didn’t care at all that the elder boy had been attacked and set ablaze by bullies. They hadn’t even pressed charges against Randy or his family for what he and Troy had done, all they had said in the end was _‘Well they’ve suffered more than enough’_. Even Keith had seemed upset by the turn of events, had even visited Jeff in the hospital to show his support, not that their parents gave a rat's ass.

All his parents could think about was themselves, how this affected their precious _‘image’_ and not how it was affecting their children. How it was hurting Jeffery. His brother had barely spoken at all since waking in the hospital, hardly ate and when he smiled it seemed forced. It seemed like everything was painful for Jeffrey right now and it made his younger brother sad not knowing how to help him. Liu drifted to sleep thinking about his brother, wishing he could think of something to help him be more comfortable if nothing else. Make it easier.

Liu wasn’t sure how long he slept, only that when he was awoken sometime later by a gentle nudge to his shoulder it was still dark beyond his bedroom window. At first all he saw other than this was Jeffery’s silhouette hovering next to the bed, confused, the younger teen narrowed his tired eyes and lifted himself slightly on his elbows. The heavy smell of copper and iron hit his nose after a second, making him blink, his eyes adjusting more and more and what he saw horrified him. Jeff stood over him, his night shirt and pants soaked in blood, deep cuts in his face that carved out the most disturbing smile he had ever seen. The boy sucked in a gasp, eyes going wide,"Jeff?! Wha-MMPH!" But before he got the rest of the words out a hand was placed roughly over his mouth. Liu felt himself being pushed back down as Jeff climbed on top of him, straddling him, it was only now he noticed the knife the elder held. Panic swelled in his gut, his heart pounding in his ears so loudly he nearly missed Jeff’s soft words.

"Its-Its okay Liu! Just relax! I-I'm going to make you beautiful! Just like me!" The older boy let out a small giggle as he wrestled Liu down, the smaller attempting to fight back in vain. Liu simply wasn’t strong enough to fight against his much larger sibling, he had always been a small child. Had always relied on Jeff to protect him, guide him like the elder brother any younger child looked up to. But now? As he felt that blade cutting into his face, letting out a whimper of anguish and pain, all he could do was ask himself why this was happening. What had he done to Jeffrey to deserve this? A tiny voice drifted to the surface of his fear addled brain, **_‘Because you’re worthless...you just let those bullies take off with your own brother and hurt him! You did nothing! You didn’t even try….you deserve this pain!’_** It giggled at him, as he managed to jerk away from the blade which unfortunately slipped in the elder boys grip and cut him across his nose and cheek.

"Jeff...Wh-why are you doing this?! P-please stop, I'm _scared!_ " Liu cried out sobbing, coughing on the blood that leaked into his mouth from the smile sliced into his cheeks, the taste and smell making him feel like he might vomit any second. Teary green eyes looked up into once bright blue as Jeffery’s smile turned even more crazed, "Its okay! D-don't be scared Liu...Just...Just...go...to sleep...Yes. Just go to sleep!" He said on the trail of soft laughter as he dragged the knife across his brother's throat. Liu stiffened, mouth agape as he chocked on the blood flooding his throat and lungs. He tried to drag in air, to breath, but couldn’t. The boy was certain this was the end and something in his mind whispered angrily, _‘Why!? Why is this happening?! ...he was supposed to take care of me! He’s my big brother! He was...he was...supposed….to be...someone I could...rely on….’_ The light faded out in his vision as the world turned black, vaguely he could still hear Jeff’s voice. He sounded...sad...why? Isn’t this what he had wanted? The last thing he heard before passing out was the sound of his brother screaming to him, shouting his name…

The next sound to reach Liu Woods ears was the beep of a heart monitor and the shouting of medical staff though both eventually fell to a dull roar. The voice of one nurse particular caught his attention after sometime, she was babbling on about the blood lose at first and then… “Oh my goodness, I just overheard one of the officer’s saying the boy’s whole family was murdered! He’s so lucky to have survived!” She gasped, her voice moving in and out of his consciousness, growing stronger the more awake he became. “Really? How terrible, the poor dear...do they at least know who did it?”

“Apparently they suspect the eldest child is responsible, it was that boy that was in the burn ward last week, the crazy looking one.”

One of the two talking snorted rudely, “Figures, I bet Tibby that kid would flip his gord before the end of the month and I was right. He had ‘nuts’ written all over him.”

**‘Do you hear that? Saying such nasty things about your brother…!’**

_‘Huh…? Wh-who’s there?’_

Liu felt a chill rush down his spin, the words that drifted into his head sounded like someone else was talking. But it was his own voice, yet he did not think those thoughts...did he? Confused and scared he listened to the nurse’s prattling on about Jeffrey and the murders, his heart feeling colder and colder as he realized his parents were gone. Sure they hadn’t been the best, they had been very flawed, but they were his parents all the same and Jeff had murdered them.

**‘Then you should murder him, don’t you think? He’s evil after all...like these nurses...they all need to die.’**

_‘They do…? But...Jeff is...my brother...and their just stupid people.’_

**‘So?! Think about it! What kind of brother tries to kill you and cuts you up like this?! What decent human being bad mouths someone’s family with them laying in a hospital bed near by?! Their disgusting and should be removed from the face of the Earth!’**

_‘...But I…’_

Liu twitched in his bed, his green eyes fluttering open. The first thing he saw was the bright fluorescent hospital lights over his bed, then the rest of the sterile white room. The nurses stood only a few feet away, babbling on and on like little piglets in a pen with nothing better to do. The teen felt as if he was and wasn’t attached to his own body as he sat up in bed, it was as if someone else was in control and he was along for the ride. Like a videogame character in first person.

**‘...It’s okay Liu, I know you're too weak for this. That’s why I’ll do it for you! You get the pleasure of watching me clean up the scum and I just borrow your limbs for a bit, easy as pie.’**

The teen stood from the bed, his mind felt heavy and fogged. Was it the medication or something else? He didn’t know. He watched himself picking up a pair of bandage scissors from a table beside the bed, the nurses at last noticing the brunette. “Oh, dear you shouldn’t be out of bed! You’ve lost a lot of blood!” One said with a gasp, walking over to him and taking his shoulders in her hands gently, not seeing the sharp item he held in his left hand.

“It’s okay sweetie, just lay back down, we can get you something if you need it.” The other nurse said with a sugar coated smile, looking down at him. Liu didn’t know how or why, but he felt like they were looking down _on_ him, belittling him with their eyes. Like they pitied him. But he didn’t want their pity or their sympathy, they didn’t truly care. How could they? He was but a stranger to them. Some random orphan.

**‘See? They think you're crazy, that you're just like Jeffrey. They think you’re scum...But we’re devine. We’re salvation!’**

_‘Who is we…? Who are_ **_you_ ** _?’_

Liu jerked his left hand upward, the nurse touching him let out a soft grunt as her eyes bulged in shock. Blood spilled from her lips, dripping down her chin slowly and splattering on the floor in the growing pool as her guts joined them, the teen pulling the scissors sharp edge across her stomach with shocking ease. A small smile pulled at the brunette’s lips, lazy and calm, his dull green eyes shifted to the other nurse who stood back with her hands to her lips. She was frozen, terrified clearly. Lifting her blue eyes to meet his, blue like his mother’s….blue like….”Jeffery...why did you do it…?” He asked as he moved toward her, the woman backed up and shook her head in stunned silence, “You were supposed to protect me...I’m your brother...I loved you...but you...you hurt me.”

“What are you talking about! You're crazy, you’re crazy!!!”

The brunette boy blinked at her, his smile slowly growing and stretching the stitches on his face painfully, opening the cuts trying to heal beneath. Warm blood ran slow trails down his face as he cornered the woman, unfazed by her pleading, “You’re disgusting...don’t you know that? Saying such horrible things next to someone's bed, it's just bad manners. But don’t worry, no one else will have to suffer your existence much longer, you should be happy.”

_‘Stop this! Stop! I don’t want to hurt anyone!’_

**‘Don’t worry Liu, you're not. I am.’**

_‘Who are you?! Please! Just stop this! I don’t want this!!’_

The boy lunged forward with a crazed laugh, stabbing the nurse viciously in the chest. Plunging the sharp point into her over and over with glee as her blood poured out from every new cut, soaking his hospital clothes from mint green to the loveliest shade of red he had ever seen. Getting to his feet the teens green eyes fixated on the growing pool he now stood in, watching his own reflection in it's crimson surface. Watching the happy smile spread across his own face, feeling more and more out of control of his own body. Inside he whimpered as his body made for the window, leaving his scissors behind on the floor with a clatter.

_‘Who are you? Why are you doing this?!’_

**‘Hehe~ How about you call me Sully?’**

The voice that was and wasn't his own cackled maniacally, slipping from the first floor window and taking him out into the night. It was a long while of this before Liu vaguely realized where his body was going as yellow police tape came into view, his house appearing from the darkness. Again the boy whimpered in his head, he didn't want to be here, what was he doing there? He tried to stop himself, pulling his hand back when he reached the front door, fingers trembling at the very least. And for a second his hand hesitated and Liu really smiled, thinking perhaps he had control again, but that voice tutted at him and chuckled. Instantly his hand steadied and opened the door, feet carrying him inside and closing the door once more. The first thing be noticed was the dark and then the metallic smell of old blood in the air that only grew more powerful as he went up the stairs, he was going to his own room…? What could this ‘Sully’ possibly need there?

As if to answer him Sully giggled in his mind, moving past the bloodied mess on the bed and floor toward the closet which he opened. Inside he found fresh clothes and changed, grabbing a backpack from the darkened corner of the room and filling it with a few things. Once done, he slipped on a heavy coat and his scarf. Sully moved to leave, but Liu caught sight of a photo on the wall and this time his body stopped. For a long while he was able to linger, staring at the family photo from the previous year. It was of himself and his parents and Jeff. But it was the photo beside it that made him reach out, plucking it from it's nail to bring it closer. It was a picture of him and Jeffery, taken just before they moved. Liu’s fingers shook as he felt the tears slipping down his face, falling to his knees on the floor as he stared at the photo, at their smiles, how happy they had been. And all he could do was ask himself how everything had gone wrong. Why this had to happen. Hadn't they suffered enough that year, what with moving, losing everything they had known. All they had had was each other and now...now there wasn't even that.

**‘Don't you worry your pretty head Liu...we’ll get our revenge, we’ll set things right. Only once he stops breathing can we truly rest.’**

Liu shook his head, sobbing hoarsely, “But I don't want to...he’s my brother!” He said allowed into the dark room as if this would somehow help, the voice cackled or so he thought until he realised he himself was laughing, tears still streaming as this Sully made him stand. Walking into the hall bathroom and flipping on the light, revealing the words written on the mirror in dried blood, in _Jeffrey’s_ blood, _‘Aren’t I beautiful?’_

“Don't you, Liu? Think about it, he's taken everything from you. Your mother, father, home, and your trust. He needs to be punished for his crimes. He is evil. He is no longer your brother.”

Liu shook on the inside as he stared past the letters at his own smiling face, the tears ebbing as he realized there was no stopping this. He could only hope he never saw Jeff again…But like Sully’s control, he wasn’t allowed to be granted even this one small wish...

* * *

 

It was a cold night in January that found Jeff at his brothers grave, “Hey Liu...it's been awhile, huh?” He said as he was sitting down, pulling his knees up to his chest, staring at the letters etched into the stone surface.  The raven teen smirked a bit, though the smile curved across his features held no joy, “What's it been now? Five years…?” Jeffrey reached out and brushed his fingers over the letters of his younger brothers name, thunder rumbling gently over head. He could smell the rain, it would downpour soon he was sure. “Fuck, that means you're turning seventeen soon. What do you want for your birthday, huh?” He asked to no one with a faint smile that looked wider thanks to the scars on his ghostly pale face.

“Seventeen...already? So then, you're eighteen now, huh, _Jeffrey_?”

The raven killer stiffened, his fingers frozen on cold stone words as he lifted his blue eyes to meet the evergreen of his brothers. His brother whom he believed to be dead. Surely this was a dream? Or even a hallucination. This could be the only explanation for why Liu Woods stood before him now, it was impossible otherwise. His beloved younger sibling had bled out in his very arms, there was no mistaking that, he had relived such repeatedly in his nightmares. The only explanation for what he was seeing simply had to be a hallucination, he was truly losing his mind now. _Liu_ , his beloved baby brother had **died** in his very arms, bled out from the wounds **_he himself had inflicted_ **. Yet the brunette standing before him, just beyond the tombstone bearing his name, smiled slightly which pulled at the stitched up scars on either side of his mouth. The imperfect smile Jeff had attempted to carve into his flesh all that time ago. The elder of the pair was transfixed on those scars, the familiar and yet unfamiliar wounds marking his brothers once perfect sun-kissed skin.

“...Liu?” Jeffrey choked out the other's name, gaining a soft, bitter chuckle in reply. “Oh, so you do recognize me? I was starting to think you had destroyed too much of my face to be able to.” The raven stiffened at the hissed words, more so than he already was as he got to his feet. Liu, whom had once been a fair amount shorter, now stood at least his height. If not slightly taller. The two stood feet from each other, staring in silence as if each was waiting for the other to react. Liu tilted his head slightly, the smile fading a little, “Well? Nothing to say before I seek righteous justice on you, _Jeffrey_ ?” He stressed his siblings name like a taunt, a cursed word dripping with venom and malice. The raven teen narrowed his lidless eyes, anger swelling past the confusion, “Don’t call me that…” The elder replied in a soft, still uncertain voice, shifting on his feet like he was anxious. And he was, truly. Fighting with the urge to attack this illusion that portrayed his beloved brother and the want to apologize and hug him. Liu arched a single brown brow over dull forest green eyes, “Pardon? I didn’t catch that…” A slow smirk tugged at stitched features, “ _Jeffrey_ …”

“I SAID DON’T CALL ME THAT!” The other shouted suddenly, pacing now rather than shifting, still clearly warring with himself. With the very different desires coursing through his body. Liu’s glee only increased as he realized he was upsetting his brother, Sully slowly taking hold more fully, “And why not? That’s your name after all, _Jeffrey_ .” The older teen gripped at lengths of his messy charcoal hair, blue eyes darting here and there, “No...NO! NO! My name is Jeff, just...just Jeff! Go away, you’re not real! This _isn’t_ real!” He screamed at the top of his lungs, nearly rendering his voice hoarse as he stumbled backward.

“Oh, poor baby, can’t handle reality can you? Is that why you don’t want me calling you **_Jeffrey_ **?” Liu taunted as he stalked toward the elder boy, towering over him by several inches, the sound of thunder rumbling as Jeff again screamed at Liu to stop but the words were swallowed in the howl of the wind from the oncoming storm. “Come now Jeffrey, be a good beast and let me cleanse you from this world…” Liu lifted a metal pipe he had been holding behind his back, raising it into the air and preparing to strike the other down. “I’m not Jeffrey! I killed him! I killed his parents and I...I killed you! You're not real! You’re dead! I saw you die, I held you as you died!” The raven screamed as he held his head in anguish, fighting the tears and pain in his heart that he had tried so hard to bury, doubled over and unaware he was in danger. He still believed this a dream, waiting and pleading to be woken from it before he was driven farther into madness.

Liu on the other hand hesitated half way to hitting the raven, drawn up short by his brothers actions and words. _‘He...held me…?’_ The teen inside the duel occupied body wondered, listening more intently as the elder of the pair fell to his knees and rocked like he had lost his mind all over again, driven to the brink by the supposedly dead boy above him. Jeff wailed out as another clap of thunder crashed above, lightening flashing as it began to pour rain, “I’m sorry…! I’m so sorry Liu! I never wanted to hurt you…!” Liu’s body jerked, the pipe he held twitching in his grip, “You...you’re lying...you have to be! You're lying!” The brunette stumbled back a few steps, splashing in the quickly forming puddles on the ground.

**‘What the fuck does it matter?! Let me kill him!’** Sully shouted in their mind, fighting to take back control as Liu fought to prevent him from hurting Jeff. The raven, unaware of the war going on in the scarred boys head, lifted his own in question. His blue eyes swimming with so many things as he slowly got to his feet, pants coated in mud and hoodie drenched already with rain. “I-I wouldn't ever lie to you, Liu…” He pleaded, reaching out toward the taller boy, whom jerked backward like he was being attacked. “Liar! You told me you would always protect me, always be there! You promised when we were kids, nothing would ever happen to me! But you tried to kill me! _You_ did _this_ to me!” The brunette replied, gesturing to the mess on his face. It was Jeff’s turn to look stung, pulling his hand back suddenly, shaking his head. “I-I didn’t mean to...I didn’t...Liu, I’m sorry!”

**‘Dammit, let me kill him!’**

_‘No...I can’t…’_

**‘Why!? Why are you fighting?! He deserves this!’**

Liu shook his head, dropping the pipe and grabbing his temples and shaking, trying to fight back somehow. But he was losing his grip, losing to Sully. “Liu…?” Jeff chanced moving closer, still shifting too and fro on his feet with clear uncertainty, but worry swam with the other emotions in his impossibly blue eyes. Liu’s head shot up, something flashing in his green eyes, something dark and ominous. “I’ll kill you! I’ll **destroy** you!” The brunette shouted with a wide grin before it twisted into one of anguish, “N-no! No, he’s still my brother! I-you can’t!” Liu pleaded it seemed to Jeff who was quickly growing confused as he shook his own head, reaching out to grab the younger teens shoudlers. Liu flinched at the contact, his face shifting again to one of mania, “Sorry little bastard! You can’t stop me! I’ll kill him and kill the whole town too! I’ll wipe the entire **_retched_ ** place off the map!” He cackled maniacally, hands dropping to his sides as he laughed loud and long, the sound mixing horribly with the thunder and wind. A chill rushed over the shorter of the pair.

Jeffrey shook his head in disbelief as he took several steps back, sure he himself could care less about the town, all the people there were nothing but scum even in his eyes. But Liu...Gentle, kind young Liu…? Why was he like this? Was this still a dream or…? Or had Liu survived all those years ago. Survived and clearly lost his mind because of what Jeff had done to him. The guilt of this thought was far worse than the thought of having killed the younger man five years ago. He would honestly rather see his baby brother dead with his sanity intact than living like this, but as the thought of killing him crossed his mind he realized he wouldn’t be able to do it. Jeff couldn’t bare the idea of killing Liu again, even if it meant saving him from his own mind. Then what could he possibly do?

Whilst the elder teen mentally debated on his solution the younger was losing grip on his own mind, Sully taking it from him in one last fell move as he reached down and lifted the pipe from the muddy ground. Stalking toward the raven whom lifted his eyes to the movement, watching as the other lifted the rusted object high, blue eyes widening as he moved to dodge the strike. “Liu! Wait! Lets...Let’s talk about this?! I-I can help you!” The raven pleaded with the other man who laughed softly as the pipe missed by mere inches, chipping part of his own tombstone off in the force of the swing. “Liu? Whoops, guess I haven’t had the chance to explain…” The brunette straightened up, pushing his wet brown hair back from his face and better revealing the scars and stitches. Jeff kept his stance low, ready to move one way or the other if he needed to dodge again, the weight of the large knife in his pocket heavy on his mind. Would he have to fight back…? “Liu has...how do I put this? Checked out? Taken a break? See, for the past five years I’ve been sort of taking the reigns if you will. The kids just too weak to do what’s needed.”

“What’s needed?” Jeff stepped around the brunette in a wide circle, keeping a wary eye on him as the other mirrored his every move, “That’s right...We were chosen to do God’s work, to wipe scum like you from his beautiful Earth and cleanse it once more.” Liu smirked darkly, “I have helped bath this body in the blood of those who have sinned and sent their souls to Hell where they belong. One at a time...I believe we’ve taken over a hundred lives by now.”

The raven raised a brow, “Cleansing the sinners, huh? Not that I give a fuck, but it sounds like you’re just plain crazy. At least I don’t cover my kills with bullshit like that...If you're gonna kill people at least have a real reason.” He smirked, but it lacked real amusement, false joy. “So, if you're the one in control, then who the hell are you?” He felt stupid asking, this was Liu, it had to be. Sure he had seen some crazy shit the past five years, met beings not at all human, but even he had a hard time believing this was something like that. ‘Liu’ smirked, “I’m called Sully...and you are my next sinner. So...hold still and let me kill you!” The brunette lunged at the other, swinging the pipe again, but Jeff was faster as he jumped backward, the end of the weapon slamming into the ground with a thunk and a splash. “Bullshit! Liu, I know you're in there! Wake the hell up!” The raven shouted over the storm, pushing himself forward and grabbing the metal object the other was using to try to kill him, trying to get closer to the taller teen. Sully laughed at him, lunging forward himself and slamming his head hard into Jeff’s which knocked the elder off balance. “Shit!” The raven growled as he tripped backward and landed on his back in the mud, moving to sit up as quickly as he could, but the other was quick to attack before he got far. Sully cackled as he lifted the pipe into the air, the lightning flashing and highlighting his silhouette, bringing the rusted thing down in one swoop to plunge it into the other teens chest with a sickening noise.

Jeffrey felt pain bloom through him, his blue eyes wide as he stared up in disbelief at his brother’s scared face. “L-liu…” He choked on something hot and metallic filling his throat, coughing harshly and gasping as he began drowning in his own blood, his blue eyes starting to quickly dull as the world darkened in his vision. “...Liu...I’m...sorry…”

Above him Sully’s laughter died out, replaced by a panicked cry. Liu stood over his brother, shaking fingers clawing at the stitches on his face, pulling at the cuts that never seemed to be allowed to fully heal, even after all these years. “Jeffrey! No! No, you can’t die! Y-you're not allowed!” The brunette shifted, paced really, in a small spot beside the raven who barely managed to rattle out a breath from his flooding lungs. “I-I wanted you to suffer! N-not die! No no no! What...what have I done!?”

**‘You finally got your revenge, silly boy. You should be celebrating!’**

“No, no I don’t want this! I never wanted this!”

**‘What’s done is done, be happy for this. You can rest easy knowing this beast is slain.’**

“I...I just want things to go back to normal...I wanted my brother back...I want to go home!”

**‘You can’t ever go back…There’s nothing left to go back to...’**

Liu fell to his knees, hands soaked in both their blood that was washed thin by the rain that continued to fall as if nothing was happening at all. The young teen could only sob to himself, he didn’t know what to do. Who could he call to for help? There was no one that would save Jeff and if he called the police or took him to a hospital like he truly wanted they would surely both be arrested. “...iu….L-liu…?” The brunette lifted his forest green eyes, meeting dull blue. Jeff smiled very faintly at him, reaching out blood stained fingers to his younger brother and taking ahold of his wrist. “It’s...okay...Liu…” He whispered, pulling the younger boy toward him, the brunette not fighting at all as he leaned in close to Jeff. The raven half hugged the sobbing boy, staring past him at the gray sky that raged above them. “I’m sorry, Jeffrey! I didn’t want this!” Liu’s cries could barely be heard over the howling winds, “Jeffrey I-ARGH!” The brunnette sucked in a sharp breath as something pierced his back, blood quickly coated his lips as he coughed, splattering Jeff’s face in his blood.

The raven smiled darkly, “I...t-told you, didn’t I? I killed...J-Jeffrey...him...and his whole family…” He mumbled hoarsely, laughing softly before choking on his own blood, dropping his arms beside him as he fought to laugh past the blood in his lungs and mouth. Liu stumbled back from his brother, trying to reach for the knife buried in his shoulder, groaning as he slammed his back into his tombstone and slid down to sit in the mud. The boy's green eyes blurred as he tried his best to stay conscious. Was this truly how it would end…?

Liu smiled softly, calmly as his hands dropped to his lap, watching his brother across from him. The world slowly going black around him, the sounds of the storm fading into the background of his mind. “It’s...okay Jeffrey...I know that...th-that you never meant it...We can...we can meet them together now…” He whispered, lifting his eyes upward toward the heavens, “Mom...and...dad...are...waiting…”

  _To be continued…._

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are always appreciated, I enjoy hearing peoples thoughts on my work. ^w^


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